Haryana: 2017 Panchkula violence case, all 12 accused acquitted as prosecution fails to prove charges
The court found that the prosecution failed to establish the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to their acquittal; the court found the electronic evidence, including CDs and photographs, unreliable, as they lacked specific details
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Ajay Kumar has acquitted all twelve accused in a case related to the widespread violence that erupted in Panchkula on August 25, 2017, following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. However, the court has directed Ahlmad to give a red ink note on the record that same be not destroyed, and same be put up before the court as and when one of accused Aditya Insa is apprehended, produced or surrendered before the court. Honeypreet and eight others are facing a separate criminal trial.
The court found that the prosecution failed to establish the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to their acquittal. The accused, namely Pankaj Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Govind Ram, Vijay Kumar, Parkash Singh, Pal Singh, Satnam Singh, Gopal Krishan, Pawan Kumar, Jasbir Singh, Ved Parkash, and Baljinder Singh, were charged under sections 148, 149, 188, 341, 435, and 109 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sector 5 police station had registered this case on August 28, 2017.
The complainant, Krishan Lal Garg, admitted during cross-examination that he did not recognise any of the accused in court or from the photographs presented as evidence. The court noted that no incriminating material was recovered from the accused based on their disclosure statements. Other prosecution witnesses, including Jaswinder Singh, Umesh Kumar Bansal, Surjeet Singh, Vikram, Saravjeet Singh, Karambir Singh, and Ajay Kumar, testified that they did not witness the accused setting fire to the vehicle in question.
The court found the electronic evidence, including CDs and photographs, unreliable, as they lacked specific details linking the accused to the crime scene. SI Sandeep Mehta also admitted that the photographs did not contain location details. The remaining prosecution witnesses were deemed merely formal or official witnesses.
This acquittal marks another instance in a series of similar rulings related to the 2017 violence. Previously, the same court acquitted 41 accused in another FIR last month. Similarly, 10 accused were acquitted in January 2020, and six accused in July 2018.
The complaint
Krishan Lal Garg, a scribe, gave a complaint to the local police. As per his complaint, he came to the spot on August 25, 2017, in his car to cover the court proceedings against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. He had parked his car in the parking allotted to the media. He left different articles in his vehicle which included the stamp papers of value ₹90,000 and ₹5,000 in cash. After the verdict was pronounced against Baba Ram Rahim, his followers set on fire the buildings and vehicles in Panchkula and in that arson, his vehicle as mentioned above was also set on fire, he mentioned in his complaint.
What happened?
The 2017 violence resulted in significant damage, with 29 buildings and 74 vehicles, including fire brigades, being set ablaze. Panchkula police registered 177 FIRs and arrested 2,167 individuals.
